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Population and Housing Census 2009

Solomon Islands, 2009
Reference ID
SLB_2009_PHC_v01_M
Producer(s)
National Statistics Office
Metadata
DDI/XML JSON
Created on
May 19, 2014
Last modified
Mar 29, 2019
Page views
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  • Study Description
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  • Coverage
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  • Identification

    Survey ID number

    SLB_2009_PHC_v01_M

    Title

    Population and Housing Census 2009

    Country
    Name Country code
    Solomon Islands S.I
    Study type

    Population and Housing Census [hh/popcen]

    Series Information

    The latest of a series of national population and housing censuses (NPHC) of Solomon Islands was held in 1999. The results were of acceptable quality and standard and were consulted by civil servants at local, provincial and national levels, by businessmen and non-governmental organisation, as well as by overseas investors and aid organisation. They used the available information for daily administration and for planning and policy making. By analysing the response to the 1999 census questionnaires and comparing the data with the 1970, 1976 and 1986 census results, the census office was able to make good estimates of levels of fertility, mortality and internal migration as well as produce a range of population projections at national and sub-national levels. The population growth rate of 2.8 per cent per annum in the 1986-1999 inter-census-period, paradoxically is a reduction but still remains as amongst the highest in the world. With this very high growth rate the Solomon Islands Government could not afford to continue its laissez-faire policy concerning population issues, hence a continuous monitoring of the growth rate at regular intervals, through the census process, should be maintained and a review of the current population policy should also be taken.

    Abstract

    The 2009 Census falls within the 2010 Round of Pacific Census, ten years after the 1999 census.

    The results of the 2009 census will be required to:

    a. help produce high-quality information for planning, decision-making, and monitoring of development progress in Solomon Islands. This implies very heavy data requirements and these requirements are continuously increasing, particularly towards development planning, implementation monitoring and evaluation of Government policies outlined in NERDEP and the current Medium Term Development Strategies.

    b. The data from the Census will also be used for monitoring the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) and other goals included in the International Conference for Population & Development (ICPD).

    c. check whether the population policies, which were put in place after the 1986 census on the basis of 1976-86 population trends and then as reviewed in the early 2000s in respect of the 1999 population trends, proved effective, and

    d. Establish a new benchmark and a new set of post-1999 population trends on which to base a reconsideration of existing (population) policies in the framework of sustained and sustainable development.

    e. Also, the results of this census will help facilitate updating of constituencies in preparation to the 2010 national election of Solomon Islands.

    f. Further to these, the results of the census will provide a sample Frame from which further household capability surveys which include a household income expenditure in 2010/2011, a second demographic and health survey (DHS) 2011/2012 and a Labour Force Survey before the next census can be undertaken.

    g. The 2009 census will also provide the much needed village level data on population, resources and infrastructure for government's bottom-up approach development policy initiative.

    Accepting the notion that a new census is required and that a number of overseas aid organisations will be able to support the government on an undertaking similar to the 1999 census, the following points are considered in more detail in this project proposal.

    It is recommended that the present census interval should not exceed ten years and that the same month should be selected in 2009, for the period of enumeration as in 1999, mainly to ensure that seasonal factors would not reduce the comparability of the information provided by the two censuses. As a result of this recommendation, 22nd November 2009 is therefore proposed as the new census date. This date will be formally announced by the Prime Minister in line with the Census Act.

    For making current administrative decisions and prepare longer term socio-economic development policies governments and private organisations need reliable up-to-date knowledge about available natural and human resources. In a country like Solomon Islands one of the most important statistical systems for obtaining the required socio-economic information is the population census. This does not only provide a numerical description of the population at a given census date - through comparison with previous census results - but also of the ongoing trends in a sustained and sustainable development of certain population characteristics such as changes in population growth, age composition, direction of mobility and levels of urbanisation, economic activities and educational status. Such knowledge may allow the development planner to devise policies that will stem the flow of trends considered not in line with development aims. Alternatively, trends considered fitting can be identified and fostered by the introduction of appropriate policies. The success thereof can then be assessed when a next census is held some ten years later.

    Kind of Data

    Census/enumeration data [cen]

    Unit of Analysis
    1. Population ( Urban and Rural )
    2. Household ( Urban and Rural )
    3. Provincial records
    4. National Records
    5. Geography

    Scope

    Notes

    The Scope of the Solomon Islands 2009 Census covers the:

    1. For all Persons
      -Name
      -Relationship
      -sex,birth and age
      -Ethnic and Citizenship
      -Martal status and Relgion
      -Place of birth and Residence

    2. For all Persons 5 + (born in 2004 or before)
      -Residence 5 years ago and Educational background
      -Read and Write

    3. For all Persons 12 + (born in 1997 or before)
      -Work activities and Main occupation

    4. For all Women 15 + (born in 1994 or before)
      -Children - total birth ( alive or died)
      -Date of birth and age

    5. Household and Housing
      -Living quarters and Materials
      -drinking water,cooking and washing
      -Toilet facility and rubbish disposal
      -Lighting and cooking energy
      -Housing tenure and Land Tenure

      • Bednets and insecticide treated
        -Durables
        -Growing food,cash groups,livestock and fishing
        -Source of Income ( Money/remittances)
        -residents and died during last 12 months.
    Topics
    Topic Vocabulary
    Demographic Statistics SINSO
    Health Statistics SINSO
    Agriculture Statistics Ministry of Agriculture
    Fisheries Statistics Ministry of Fisheries
    Education Statistics Ministry of Education
    Economic Statistics SINSO

    Coverage

    Geographic Coverage

    The 2009 Population and Housing Census Covers 100% of geography as in Urban and Rural Areas for the Entire Country :

    The Solomon Islands as a whole by:

    • 10 Provinces
    • Constituencies
    • Wards
    • Enumeration Areas
    • Household Level
    Universe

    The National Population and Housing Census 2009,covers the entire Population,the ones in the Hotels,Motels,Ships which was collected when all ship arrived at wharf during the Census times.
    It covers all overseas people living in and aorund Solomon Islands,Urban and Rural,excluded the Diplomats.
    In overroll:- This is any individual member of the household or institution who is present on the census night and is therefore counted in the census. This includes every young and old, male of female, expatriates or residents, tourist and locals alike.

    Producers and sponsors

    Primary investigators
    Name Affiliation
    National Statistics Office Ministry of Finance & Treasury
    Producers
    Name Role
    Secretariat of the Pacific Community Technical Advise and Assistance, Questionnaire designing, Data Processing, Data Analysis
    United Nations Fund for Population Activities Facilitating procurements and Administrations work
    Government Ministries contribution in forming the Census Questionnaire
    Funding Agency/Sponsor
    Name Role
    Solomon Islands Govenment Finance
    UNFPA Finance
    Australia Government Finance
    Europian Union Finance
    Taiwan Finance
    Secretariat of the Pacific Community Providing TAs and finance
    UNDP Finance
    Other Identifications/Acknowledgments
    Name Affiliation Role
    Mr. Allan Harbrow Census Census Technical Advisor
    Mrs. Maureen Harbrow Census Assistance in the census operation
    Solomon Islands Broadcasting Cooperation SIBC Media Activities
    Solomon One News Television TV publicity programs
    People of Solomon Islands Country Contribute to fill in the census questionnaires

    Sampling

    Sampling Procedure

    Census - Not applicable for complete enumeration survey

    This section only apply for Sample Surveys.

    Survey instrument

    Questionnaires
    1. QUESTIONNAIRE AND SCANNING

    The need to set up the questionnaire in terms of suitability for local printing have done, using a software package called in-design, or whatever is most appropriate, which will then allow “optimisation ” for scanning with check boxes, drop-out colours (colours which are then filtered out by the scanner) etc. It is important that the questions are laid out correctly to make sure the results of the scan are possible and legible and eligible or recorded. Prior to the pilot census, the questionnaire needs to be finalised and come up with something everyone is happy with, finalise it and then make sure it works (if questions/formatting needs amendments as a result of the pilot, such changes will of course be done).

    The questionnaire was finalised and a reliable printer to print the questionnaires was sought in advance through the tender bidding process. There are a whole series of things the Census office need to check here to make sure that the job gets done to a sufficient standard and that the scanning works well (good quality machines, paper, ink, air conditioned operating environment etc). There was no printing company in Honiara who can do this thus the printing done in Australia

    In addition the questionnaire develop and were all in English language as people normally understand the english reading than the Solomons pidgin.The quetionnaire was design in Adobe Illustrator as to make sure the lines and writtings all well linned and parallel to what had written.Hence the census form have to have the right color which the scannning has to read and can easily collect the characters and values.
    As such the census forms had been well protected while in field and properly manage in a way which the forms will not distroyed easily by rain or sea.
    Hence,the census questionnaire covers Households and Housing.All Persons and GPS,more detailed in Scope section.

    Data collection

    Dates of Data Collection
    Start End Cycle
    2009-03-08 2009-06-21 Household Listing
    2009-08-16 2009-08-27 Pilot Census
    2009-11-15 2009-11-29 Census rounds
    Time periods
    Start date End date Cycle
    2009-11-15 2009-11-22 Round 1
    2009-11-23 2009-11-29 Round 2
    Data Collectors
    Name Affiliation
    Enumerators Actual Census (Ministry of Finance & Treasury)
    Enumerators and Supervisors Household listing Exercise (Ministry of Finance & Treasury)
    Enumerators Pilot Census (Ministry of Finance & Treasury)
    Supervision

    The data supervision as completed census forms coming from field:-

    Outside office : -Census Enumerators to Census Supervisors to Census Area Managers to Census Districts Superintendent.
    Inside office : -Census Districts Superintendent to Census Operation office sealed with labels.
    -Operation Unit Registrated pass to Quality checkers
    -Quality Checkers to Data proccessing.
    -Data proccessing registered and started scanning
    -Scanning Machine to PC in Cspro format for Data verifiers.
    -Data verifiers to data Proccessing officer.

    Other forms of material used was: - control sheet

    • Log booked
    • Census staffs

    Below the Number of supervisors in field who involved with the proccess.

    1. Census Districts Superintendent (CDS) = 7
    2. Census Area Managers (AMs) = 29
    3. Census Supervisors = 395
    Data Collection Notes

    Census was started with Household listing which counts all the Houses and household Units and also was captured by GPS (Geographical Positioning System) as to locate their localities as in waypoints and areas of living.

    Census Household listing have about 105 personals working as Enumerators,Area Managers and Census Districts Superintendent.
    After the Household listing,Census office conducted Pilot Census as to Pre-Test the Census draft Questionnaires with about 70 Enumerators.
    After all these,thus finalise all questionnaires,logistics and etc for the Acutaully census on November 2009.

    1 PHASE I: PRE-ENUMERATION PERIOD

    The period culminating in the actual enumeration in November 2009 started with the establishment of a Census Office in Honiara in October/November 2008. The Census Commissioner seconded from the Statistics Office supported by a Secretary, a high-graded Post Finance (Accounts) Officer seconded from SIGAS, Census Statistician, Cartographer and Data Processing Officer - all Solomon Islanders - are to prepare for the conduct of a household listing of each village, a pilot census, the production of maps and village lists of each Enumeration Area (EA) and, the design and printing of questionnaire, manuals, record books, the purchase of equipment for the office and field staff; the recruitment of staff; the establishment of short term training centres; the preparation of training manuals and aids; the planning and execution of a transport schedule to gather supervisors and enumerators in the training centres, transport them to their EA's and later return them home; the publicity needed to make the whole population aware of the census and of the information they are asked to supply. All these tasks have to be done in a particular sequence and be completed strictly before certain dates. The census effort therefore requires utmost co-operation from all parties involved, authorities at various levels, private organisations and the village and urban populations. To foster the support needed for this purpose the Census Commissioner should report to the Census Users Committee at various critical stages of the project and seek concurrence for his planned activities.

    In the 1976, 1986 and 1999 censuses the enumeration was done following a two-visit system. Each enumerator was required to visit all households (on the average about 60 households) in his/her Enumeration Area (EA) in the two weeks before census night and enumerate the people found there. The enumerator was then to return directly after census night to cross out any previously enumerated people who did not sleep in the household that night and add to the household any persons, who were not previously interviewed, but had slept in the household on the Census night. It is assumed in this project proposal that this system be continued in the 2009 census.

    The Census Office should have the staff to carry out the tasks briefly described above. It is envisaged to divide the nine provinces and one main urban area (Honiara) into seven census districts (CD). In each of these a census districts, a census districts superintendent (CDS) should be made responsible for the proper execution of all preparatory work and of the actual conduct of the enumeration, in full consultation with the Census Commissioner. The CDS's, most or all of whom should be Solomon Islanders, would have to work closely with the provincial authorities and need the assistance of Chief Area Managers (CAM) and or the Area Manager (AM) depending on the level of work and where these personnel's are deployed. The CAM and AM will check in the field, the EA maps drafted in the Census Office on the basis of information of the Village Resource Survey (conducted by the Statistics Office in November 2007 to April 2008); supervise the conduct of a full household listing; explain the census in village meetings; prepare a transportation plan for his area; help in recruiting supervisors and enumerators; play active roles in their training and in co-ordinating their transport and work during the actual census enumeration.

    There will be approximately 1611 EA's and therefore a need for 1611 trained enumerators and for 266 supervisors. All of these personnel must be trained (taking into account 20 per cent reserves for 'no-shows' and 'dropouts'), the supervisors in six (6) centres and the enumerators in 14 centres. Temporary assistance will be needed from the authorities to provide professional trainers as well as a few higher level staff to act as Directors of some of the training centres, which will last for eight and five working days for the supervisors and enumerators respectively. Obviously, the Trainers, Directors and the Quality Controllers (who are to help screen completed forms before they will be returned to Honiara for data processing) should also be trained and this will equally apply for longer term staff, i.e. Census Office staff, CDS's, and AM's who will have their own courses earlier in the year. The high level staff can participate in special courses if the need arises, however, these types of training is expected to be provided by the CTA, as part of an on-the-job training activity of the Census.

    1. PHASE II: POST-ENUMERATION PERIOD

    In this phase the census returns will have to be processed, tabulated, analysed and disseminated in the form of published reports. It is argued, that while in previous censuses data processing was largely done overseas the time is now ripe to carry out all the required work locally. This includes the following steps:

    i. Preparation of the code-scheme, tabulation lay-outs, creation of a test file, system design for the various processing steps and testing of these systems.

    ii. Arrangements of office space, furniture and equipment.

    iii. manual checking of the returned forms, transportation of the information into numeric codes on the forms, manual compilation of provisional small area statistics for early release as per 2010 National General Election requirements and correction of EA maps and village listings.

    iv. Scanning of the questionnaires on scanners to create a complete computer data file of the census information; this will then be transferred into defined data dictionary using CSPro. With two scanners and 24 staff, four groups of 6 persons each will operate the scanners in two shifts per day for two months.

    v. Remaining erroneous codes are to be checked by a checking section of five persons verifiers working with two PC's, who are to detect the underlying reasons for errors, devise ways to correct them and, for a limited number of variables, change wrong or not stated codes by imputation.

    vi. The tabulation section is to produce various types of tables (e.g. 'ad hoc' tables, provincial tables, publication tables, and work tables, tables on request of users and cartograms, which all should be carefully scrutinised for consistency between them.

    vii. The specialised member of the census project will subsequently analyse the quality of the reported census data and by comparison with previous census data, establish past trends, which can then serve as indicators for probable future developments. Specialised computer packages will be used for this purpose and much attention will have to be given to presenting the conclusions in comprehensive, but readable texts.

    Data processing

    Data Editing

    Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including:

    a) After Scanning data exported to CSPro4.0 edited done by data proccessing officer.
    b) Secondly the Data proccessing officer pass the data to Data verifiers
    c) Structure checking and completeness by verifiers in terms of wrong written numbers and spellings

    d) Batch editing:

    • Variables out of range
    • Fertility Questions
    • Coding and Value sets
    • Editing of Variables..eg.age,date of birth and etc.

    Detailed documentation of the editing of data can be found in the "Data processing guidelines" document provided as an external resource.

    Data appraisal

    Estimates of Sampling Error

    Not apply for Census

    Data Appraisal

    The 2009 Census data was involved people from SPC and SINSO for checking and assisting in terms of cleaning,and verifying.After Census dataset cleaned on 19/09/2011,Census dataset has checked my running tabulation on Male and female by villages,and checking Villages were all coded and no village coded with zero "0".mean makesure all villages has values and makesure the villages with same name coded with unique code where they located by their on provinces.

    Data Access

    Access authority
    Name Affiliation URL
    Government Statistician SINSO http://www.spc.int/prism/solomons
    Confidentiality
    Is signing of a confidentiality declaration required? Confidentiality declaration text
    yes Confidentiality of respondents is guaranteed by National Statistics Act amend 2007 as stated in Chapter 53 of section 9 under Penalities point (2): If any person- (a) being a person employed in taking a census publishes or communicates without lawful authority to any person otherwise than in the ordinary course of such employment any information acquired by him in the course of his employment; or (b) having possession of any information which to his knowledge has been disclosed in contravention of this Act, publishes or communicates that information to any other person; he shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for six months or to a fine of one thousand two hundred dollars.
    Access conditions

    Access policy,The SINSO recommends three levels of accessibility

    • Public use files, accessible to all
    • Licensed datasets, accessible under conditions
    • Datasets only accessible in a data enclave, for the most sensitive and confidential data.
    Citation requirements

    " National Statistics Office of Solomon Islands,(SLB-SINSO-CENSUS-2009-v02), Version 2 of the public use dataset (July 2012), provided by the National Statistics office." http://www.spc.int/prism/solomons"

    Disclaimer and copyrights

    Disclaimer

    The Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) has regarding the use of the data. A standard legal statement should be used for all datasets from a same agency.

    The user of the data acknowledges the National Statistics office, and the relevant funding agency:

    1. SIG
    2. UNFPA
    3. ROC
    4. AUSAID
    5. EU
    6. SPC

    bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.

    Copyright

    Copy right (c) 2009,Solomon Islands National Statistics office.

    Contacts

    Contacts
    Name Affiliation URL
    Government Statistician SINSO http://www.spc.int/prism/solomons

    Metadata production

    DDI Document ID

    DDI_SLB_2009_PHC_v01_M

    Producers
    Name Affiliation Role
    Samson Kanamoli Solomon Islands National Statisitcs office Documentation of Surveys
    Henry Risoni Solomon Islands National Statisitcs office Documentation of Surveys
    Date of Metadata Production

    2012-09-24

    Metadata version

    DDI Document version

    Version 01 (September 2012) - Adapted version of the DDI "DDI-SLB-SINSO-CENSUS-2009-v01" documented by Solomon Islands NSO in July 2012.

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